Rapids Water Park Prime Stop #2

(West Palm Beach, FL) –From one coast to the other, the FlowRider® FLOW Tour is in full effect! Kicking off in Idaho two weeks ago, this past weekend, top flowboarders made the trip to Florida where a solid rider base awaited to challenge.

Stop #2 was hosted by Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach, FL on April 28th and featured a full roster of 65 competitors from novice to pro of all ages! “Let’s start planning for next year now! We want to grow this to the largest, most popular stop on the tour!” states Bob Morgan, Director of Sales and Marketing for Rapids Water Park.”

During registration and practice hours on Friday the 27th, the surrounding areas of South Florida experienced tornado warnings and severe lightning and thunderstorms, forcing Rapids Water Park to close their gates early. With this event being Rapids’ 5th Annual FlowRider FLOW Tour, this was not their first rodeo and they waited out the storm as long as they could before having the call off practice for the night.

The following day was competition day and Rapids Water Park opened the gates early. FLOW Tour coordinators, Adam & Chris, extended practice time as long as they could while setting up for the day.

Sunglasses and bathing suits were all that were required on Saturday and Rapids Water Park was the best place for flowboarders, friends, family members and spectators to cool off and beat the heat! From start to finish, the sunshine state provided wonderful weather for competition as the country’s best flowboarders put on a show.

The whopping 65 competitors who turned up to showcase their skills on the FlowRider sheet wave attraction, one of Rapids Water Park’s featured attractions, took it to the next level for spectators and guest. Rapids, normally a body boarding-only location, welcomed competitors in all respected divisions to stand up ride during competition. Rapids also host 6 FLOW JAM events for training preparations on the Saturdays leading up the big day.

Riders from the ages of 7 (Youth) to 70 (Masters), including current/former World Champions, and top seeded pros, battled it out for prizes, cold hard cash and a golden ticket entry into the National Championship in their respected divisions.

Off the wave, competitors and spectators worked on their tans. We had the pleasure of welcoming FLOW Tour sponsors, The Flow Rebel, Alana Wetsuits and FlowRiderShop.com on site hooking everyone up with swag and discounts! Be sure to tag and support these sponsors! On the wave, some of the best riders in the county displayed their best skills and tricks on the FlowRider Double.

The Pro Flowboard Division was owned by Nate Murray, putting together solid runs to hold off the 6x and current world champ, Sean Silveira, who was the Pro FB runner-up. Nate earned his first win and has a pre-seeded slot for the National Championship.
“It feels really good, I won’t stop here, I will be following the Tour and collecting points for a Tour Title,” explains Murray. Former Jr. Flowboarding Champion, Joel Stevens, rounded out the final with a 3rd place finish.

In the Pro Bodyboard category, speed and innovation helped seal in the top spot. Jon Reese, second-year Pro, claimed his first Pro BB victory and earned himself a golden ticket/seeded slot at the US National Championship. “It was a honor to take on two former Tour/World Champions (Nick N. & Nick S.) in the Finals” mentions Reese. ” My love for the sport and other flowboarders is never ending, so when I won, the moment was surreal! Jon adds. He is pumped because his home wave is hosting – Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, on August 10-12th.

As for the Amateur categories, we saw an outstanding turn out for a majority of the divisions. Many riders competed through semi-final rounds and battled it out for the top spot on the podium, golden ticket invites and lots of prizes from our official sponsors.

Event standouts include, Jordan Walter from Ankeny, Iowa who dominated the Jr. Divisions and accepted Golden Ticket invites in both Flowboard and Bodyboard for the National Championships. This really puts him in a good position for his Title campaign.

Cory “Hype Man” Woods was also a man on a mission. Cory rode hard and came out with victories in the Masters Bodyboard (35+) and also the Men’s Bodyboard (18+) showing that he can still keep up with the younger talent.

With two Prime Events in the books, 55 competitors at stop #1 in Idaho and 65 at stop #2 in South FL, the Tour is off to a killer start! The Utah leg, a trio of events (Prime stops #3-5), is ON in 4 days! Check our more details, stay social and know your flow here!

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